UN official visits remaining Tibetan hunger strikers, strike symbolically ends

Ms. Carolyn McAskie, UN Deputy Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, visited the two remaining Tibetan hunger strikers, Mr. Sonam Wangdu and Mr. Gyatso late this afternoon. (Ms. Dolma Choephel who collapsed on Friday remains in Bellevue hospital in fair condition.)

After spending some time with Ms. McAskie, the hunger strikers agreed to accept some juice and, thus, symbolically ended the hunger strike that began a month ago on April 2.

Speaking to the crowd Ms. McAskie said, “The UN has been deeply concerned about the situation. The hunger strikers have shown courage and made a very strong point. They have been very visible.”

Ms. McAskie described the different UN mechanisms and their relevance to the issues raised by the hunger strikers. The Tibetan Youth Congress, which sponsored the hunger strike, is expected to release a statement.